AND...BREAK!

So last night we picked up where we left off scene wise and worked through the rest of the play. Then we took a break and ran the whole show. Wanted to plant the whole picture in everyone's heads before we left for our three day break. I feel like we're right where we need to be. Honestly, though, that's not always the most comfortable place to be. The play will come into sharp focus suddenly and then two minutes later its just not there any more. Which is right where we need to be right now. And what rehearsals are all about. Yadda, yadda, yadda. And really, this is what I like about making theater--the live-ness of it--that you work on this medium with other people--it's not you and your words or you and your footage. But but like I said, it's not always the most comfortable place to be. Also, it might be wise to bring some in some Clif bars or something to munch on. Interestingly, the further we get into the piece the more I'm discovering how complex it is under the surface which is, of course, what gives it it's depth. Chris is seeing that too.
My brain is starting to turn into a hunk of fudge though (and I suspect I'm alone in this experience) so I'm glad we're getting a breather. Friday I'm going to record all the internal sound cues. Saturday we load the set in and start putting it up. Cast will meet again at 7.
Our good friend Ed Bodey did some pig tale images. Check them out.
I love them both. The first one is...strangely inspiring....

Page to stage and pig moves

Still making the transition off book. They're doing a great job. It's a very physical show particularly for Jesse and Patrick. Apart from physically becoming the pig, Jesse only has lines made up of words in the first and last scenes. All other responses are pig sounds (some of which are scripted in) and physical movements. We discovered from the reading you have be incredibly specific about what you're saying and how you "say" it, otherwise there's a real danger of becoming general and ultimately meaningless. Patrick has the opposite challenge. He has the bulk of the lines but his scene partner is a pig--essentially non verbal. It's definitely not a monologue but it must be a real challenge to get off book for something when your cues aren't lines. So we have been concentrating mainly on blocking--connecting words (and non-words) with actions to set them into memory.
We're also working on physicalizing the pig--or acting like a pig, if you will. I never really noticed how uniquely pigs are put together. They have short little legs which don't appear to bend much when they walk. Effectively, they trot and are very agile. They don't really have necks (at least not the way we do) which restricts their side to side movement. As far as noises, they squeal when threatened, snort when they're rooting and can even bark when being agressive. This is a lot to chose from. The key is being specific. Also, since Dave is a person and a pig when is he what?